Standard containers are generally rigid and allow the container to stand upright or prevent it from collapsing in on itself, thereby reducing the container's interior fluid holding volume. This feature also allows the standard container to be placed on a conveying surface during the filling process without the necessity for externally supporting the container or its sides. Such standard containers include, but are not limited to glass cartridges and syringes.
Non-standard containers, such as IV bags or the reservoirs for devices such as a microinfuser, possess at least one flexible component. The flexible component of these non-standard containers creates several problems when trying to fill the container with liquids on an automated fluid filling line using existing fill head technology.
First, the flexible component has the potential to cling to other components of the container or to slump, and thereby interfere with the filling process. This can be especially troublesome where the fluid contains substances, such as proteins, which can be degraded by shearing forces during the filling process. Second, the container must be supported during the fluid filling and sealing process to allow it to be positioned properly with relation to the filling and sealing equipment. Furthermore, the headspace inside these, as well as standard containers, needs to be eliminated or at least minimized for many reasons, such as for improved stability and shelf-life, but standard container filling and sealing equipment cannot manage such non-standard containers.